I met my dear friend, Nana Prah near the end of 2011/beginning of 2012, through Black Opal Books, a small press that had published both of our debut novels. We hit it off immediately. I felt like I had known her for years, even though she lived a continent away in Africa (Ghana to be specific) and I lived in New England. Time passed, more books were written and published and Nana has had amazing success. Her seventh book will come out in December from Harlequin's Kimani Line - Go Nana!!

Today, though, she's here to tell you about the fourth book in her Destiny series, DESTINY AWAKENED. This is one of my favorite books from Nana. She tackles a tough, not often spoken about subject, and does it with grace. But at it's core, it's a fun, steamy romance.

​Without further ado, here's Nana....

​I wish I could have been featured on Debbie’s Curiosities, but I don’t have a ghost or paranormal type story to tell you. Fortunately (which is the desired reverse for Debbie) my life is pretty much ghost free and that’s how I’d like to keep it.

With my latest release, Destiny Awakened (Book #4 of the Destiny African Romance Series), I did get into the horrific issue of female genital mutilation (FGM).

I’m sure you’re wondering how would get the idea to write a romance where FGM is featured as part of the conflict for the heroine. I was scrolling through my Facebook page liking pictures of adorable puppies, friend’s children, and hunky guys when someone posted an article about how FGM had been banned in Nigeria by law. A law had been pass in Ghana years ago, but that didn’t stop people from engaging in the barbaric practice.

FGM is a practice found in twenty nine countries in Africa and the Middle East. Despite being mutilated, these women live full, healthy lives. They fall in love, and as painful as it may be for some of them, they have children. I wanted to share one such story. Gloria is a purely fictional character. When I introduced her in Entwined Destiny I had no idea she’d gone through such a traumatic experience. Destiny Awakened is about the affect of FGM in her adult life and how she overcame it to finally experience her true destiny.​I hope you enjoy Gloria and Kamal’s story.

The Blurb

After enduring a traumatic event as a child, Gloria Anokye isn’t sure she’ll ever be enough for any man. With no other option, she entrusts her romantic future into the hands of Esi, midwife-turned-matchmaker. In the meantime, the one guy she’s ever desired has the power to destroy her newfound career as a wedding planner.

Kamal Lawrence has less than six weeks to plan his sister’s wedding. With the help of a wedding planner, they might be able to pull off the best wedding Ghana has ever seen. The trick is to fight off the attraction exploding between them. Once Kamal realizes there’s no way he can or will be able to stay away from Gloria, he plans his seduction.

Will she fall into his arms or keep it strictly professional?

Excerpt

The scalding heat which had blazed moments earlier dissipated. And yet he still held her, stroking her arms as they spoke. She’d only ever told her story to one other man, and that had been after their disastrous sexual experience. Terror bubbled in her stomach, this time not from the memory of the tragedy. Talking to Esi, Ora, and Adjoa had helped to break the hold her past had held over her. She doubted she’d ever be able to walk into a room filled with old women again without cringing, but she’d reclaimed her sexuality.

He spun her around and held her by the shoulders. He stared into her eyes as if searching for some kind of truth. “Are you a virgin?”Fear dimmed the sensual excitement. Would he want to stop if he knew what she’d been through? “No.” She lowered her gaze to his electric-blue designer tie. “I’m…inexperienced,” she admitted.He raised her head with a finger under her chin. “What does that mean?”

Were they really having this conversation instead of falling onto the bed and making love? Her ardor waned even more as embarrassment seized her. A deep breath in and then she rushed her words out hoping he wouldn’t run away. “I’ve had a couple of lovers. One was my ex-husband. We divorced because he deserved more than someone who went stiff on him when having sex.”Kamal had no reaction other than the slow blink of his dark eyes.

The scalding heat which had blazed moments earlier dissipated. And yet he still held her, stroking her arms as they spoke. She’d only ever told her story to one other man, and that had been after their disastrous sexual experience. Terror bubbled in her stomach, this time not from the memory of the tragedy. Talking to Esi, Ora, and Adjoa had helped to break the hold her past had held over her. She doubted she’d ever be able to walk into a room filled with old women again without cringing, but she’d reclaimed her sexuality.

She thrust her shoulders back as she once again realized and believed that she had nothing to be ashamed about. If the man she loved couldn’t handle what had happened to her, it would mean her heart had made a grievous mistake and she’d let him go.At this point, no matter how much she may want something more from him, they wouldn’t see each other again after the wedding. So what did she have to lose? Maybe knowing would help him be a better lover if he decided he still wanted to sleep with her. She could only hope.She trusted him. That was the most important reason to confide in him.

“When I was a child, my grandmother took me to undergo what used to be called female circumcision.”

His brows crinkled together as his grip on her arms tightened. “Female genital mutilation?”

Gloria drove the remnants of shame away by looking him in the eyes and nodding.

Nana Prah first discovered romance in a book from her eight grade summer reading list and has been obsessed with it ever since. Her fascination with love inspired her to write in her favorite genre where happily-ever-after is the rule.She is a published author of contemporary, multicultural romances. Her books are sweet with a touch of spice. When she’s not writing she’s, over-indulging in chocolate, enjoying life with friends and family, and tormenting nursing students into being the best nurses the world has ever seen.